Australia’s Gillard Calls for Commission on Child Sex Abuse

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard called for a Royal Commission to review instances of
child sexual abuse at institutions including religious
organizations and schools across the country.

She said at a press conference in Canberra today that there
was no time period specified for the inquiry, which will focus
on institutional responses to allegations of sexual abuse of
children. “This is an incredibly complex and sensitive area,”
Gillard said.

Gillard said she spoke before the announcement to the
premiers of Victoria and New South Wales states and also to
Catholic Cardinal George Pell, the archbishop of Sydney. He
authored a statement dated yesterday on the church’s website
titled “Our Church Is No Shelter for Abusers of Any Kind.”

The prime minister said the inquiry is not targeted at any
one church.